Preparing for Bariatric Surgery: What You Need to Know

On Jun 20, 2016

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If you’ve worked with your doctor and make the decision to have bariatric surgery, it’s important that you prepare for it the right way; then, you can have more peace of mind, and may also have an easier recovery.

The more prepared you are for the surgery and you understand the process, the easier it will be for you to get through everything and get back to living your life in a new, healthier way.

While bariatric surgery can mean some recovery time, the value you can get from it in reaching your weight loss goals can be extremely significant and a great way to embark on the rest of your life as a healthier, happier person.

Be Sure to Follow Your Doctor’s Instructions

The most important thing you can do to prepare yourself for bariatric surgery is to follow the instructions your doctor gives you. It’s vital that you do what’s asked of you, so you have the best chance of a successful surgery and recovery.

You don’t want to put your health at further risk over a particular food, an exercise you didn’t feel like doing, or anything else. If you’re not sure about a particular instruction from your doctor, ask plenty of questions and make sure you’re satisfied with the answers.

Being an informed patient is important, and can help you feel better about your upcoming surgery.

Lose a Little Weight On Your Own

Demonstrating that you can lose some weight on your own shows that you’re serious about committing to your new life and new eating plan. It also shows you can control your eating habits, because weight loss surgery is only a tool to help you.

If you push yourself past when you’re full and don’t follow the plan for life, you have the potential to stretch your stomach out again and undo the value of the surgery. If you are dedicated to making a change, you can start eating healthy and consuming less food before your surgery takes place.

Have a Recovery Plan in Place

Your recovery from bariatric surgery will take some time. You may be in the hospital for days or even weeks, depending on how quickly you recover. Additionally, there will be plenty of things you won’t be able to do for a while once you get home.

To help reduce your chances of having a problem after surgery, spend time preparing for surgery by getting a recovery plan set up. Know who you can rely on, make sure you have a support system, and have people set up to help you with things like preparing meals and keeping the house clean.

The more you’re ready for surgery, the easier it will generally be on you and the people around you, so taking some time to plan and prepare is definitely worth it.

It may be tempting to binge because you know you won’t be able to do that again, or to neglect trying to get healthier until after the surgery, but your body may recover much faster if you get started on better health before the surgery actually takes place.